Upholstery button



Sept. 19, 17 v. F. JOYNER ETAL 3,341,904

UPHOLSTERY BUTTON Filed July 16, 1965 INVENTORS: VICTOR F. JOYNER LESLIE H. BENNETT United States Patent 3,341,904 UPI-IGLSTERY BUTTCFN Victor F. Joyner, South Holland, and Leslie Harold Bennett, Chicago, III, assignors to Maxant Button & Supply Company, a corporation of Illinois Filed July 16, 1965, Ser. No. 472,557 6 Claims. (CI. 24-90) ABSTRACT 0F TIIE DISCLOSURE A rectangular-shaped templet of thin, pliable metal of predetermined dimensional form for conversion into a one-piece button component having an apertured head element and a pair of integrated axially-disposed, contiguous prongs for use with a cap and a piece of covering material to form a finished button unit for conventional use in tufting upholstery.

In certain types of upholstered furniture, wherein compressible padding is interposed between special-material coverings, buttons extend through the coverings and the padding to compress such into tufts of a predetermined pattern. The buttons, generally, are structured from metal to form head-elements with axially-disposed prongs. The prongs, after penetrating the upholstery, are bent oppositely outward or inward on the exposed face of the inner layer of covering material to secure the required patterned compression of the padding and outer covering. In most instances the head elements, of the buttons, are overlaid with a disk of the same or suitable contrasting covering material. Heretofore such buttons involved the assembly of several parts incident to the capping of the button head with the disk of material.

The main objects of this invention are: to provide an improved form of button unit for use in tufting upholstered furniture; to provide an improved structuring of an upholstery button component from a one-piece templet of material; and to provide a one-piece templet-formed button component of this kind of such simple design as to make its manufacture and marketing highly economical, its use in forming a button unit exceedingly facile, and its appearance very gratifying.

In the adaptation shown in the accompanying drawing:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of one type of preformed templet for structuring a one-piece button component in accordance with this invention, the view showing the templet as it is cut out of a strip of material;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of one form of button into which the templet of FIG. 1 is converted;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an eyelet for auxiliary use with the buttons constructed in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the button component of FIG. 2 taken on the longitudinal plane of that figure, with the eyelet of FIG. 3 in place;

FIG. 5 is a perspective of a button component, constructed in accordance with this invention, having a slightly modified form of the head-element from that shown in the other figures;

FIG. 6 is a perspective of a button component constructed in accordance with this invention from a templet as shown in FIG. 1; but illustrating a slightly modified disposition of the prongs;

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of a button component constructed in accordance with this invention, an eyelet, an auxiliary cap or shell member, and a disk-shaped piece of covering ready for assembly into a finished button unit;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a finished button unit such as is required for use with a particular design of upholstery covering;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a fragment of upholstery showing how the finished button unit is used to effect the desired tufting thereof;

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a slightly modified form of templet for forming a one-piece button component in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the same showing how lateral marginal portions of the templet of FIG. 10, which are to form the prongs, are folded over to obtain the desired width and strength of such a pair of prongs;

FIG. 12 is a side elevational view of what is shown in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a side elevational view of the button component into which the templet of FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 is converted;

FIG. 14 is a slightly modified form of templet for conversion into a one-piece upholstery button; and

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the button component converted from the templet of FIG. 14.

A button of any of the forms herein shown for use with upholstery 16, and embodying the foregoing concept comprises a head element 17 and a pair of integral prongs 18. Such a button component is fashioned from a templet struck out from a strip 19 for assembly with a cap or shell member 20 and, in most instances with a covering piece 21, to constitute a finished button unit 22. Where the tufting of the upholstery 16 requires it, a short eyelet 23 may be included in the finished button unit 22, for axial disposition between the prongs 18, for a purpose hereinafter explained.

A fragment of upholstery 16, as shown in FIG. 8, is drawn into tufted contour by a number of finished button units 22 such as shown in FIG. 7. The upholstery 16 conventionally comprises padding 24 interposed between layers 25 and 26 of covering material. The padding 24 and the covering material 25 and 26 may be any of the products currently used for this purpose. Such upholstery 16 is overlaid on a series of springs 27 secured to a supporting frame 28.

A button component may be formed from any of the hereinshown templets, each of which is struck out from a fiat strip 19 as indicated in FIGS. 1, 10 and 14. For any of these adaptations the thickness and general nature of the material would depend upon the required size of the finished button unit and the use whereto it is to be subjected. The length of the prongs 18 depends upon the requirements of the upholstery 16 or other factors involved in the use of these button units. A a rule, one of the prongs 18 is shown slightly less in length than the other. This permits a facile separation of the prongs and adaptations shown in most of the figures. The larger square opening 31 would be required to permit the prongs to be drawn inwardly into the head 17 and then down- Wardly through the opening 31 as shown in FIG. 6. In this adaptation the square opening 31 also will permit the use of an eyelet 23 quite as shown in FIG. 4. When a templet of the form of FIG. 1 has the incisions 32 omitted the inward bending of the prongs 18 for the adaptation of FIG. 6, would appear more nearly as indicated in that figure.

The different formations of the head element 17 may be developed from any of these three templets. In the form of FIGS. 2, 4, 6, 7, 13 and 15 the head element 17 is upwardly concave. In the form of FIG. the head element is upwardly convex. Generally the concave head is preferred since it is more practical for use with the eyelet 23 and also it is more facile to assemble, in a suitable forming die, with the cap or shell member 20 clamped over the head element 17. With a convex head element it is more diflicult to effect the crimping inwardly of the shell member 20 over the covering piece 21. This is true especially when it is desired to have the finished button unit 22 include the eyelet 23, for reasons that will be explained presently.

In the templet shown in FIG. 1 the margin of the head element 17 is formed with an incision 32, here in the nature of slots adjacent the integrated junction of the prongs 18. Such incisions 32 permit the prongs 18, beyond the point of integration with the head element 17, to be bent first inwardly of the head element 17 and to dispose the main portions of the prongs 19 substantially axially of the head element 17 with just enough space between them to accommodate the eyelet 23, when it is desired to have that incorporated into the finished unit 22.

The templet shown in FIG. is formed from thinner metal than that used for the adaptation in FIG. 1. However, the portions that are to constitute prongs 18 are twice as wide as are the prong-parts of the templet of FIG. 1. This is for the reason that the marginal portions of approximately one-quarter of these prong parts are turned inwardly and pressed down firmly against the medial portions, as indicated in FIG. 11. In this templet of FIG. 10 the incisions 32 are in the form of notches adjacent the point of integration and outwardly of the circumference of the head element 17. Thus, when the marginal portions, of these wider portions are turned inwardly down against the medial portion, the result is prongs 18 quite as obtains with the adaptation of the other previously-described figures. In this templet of FIG. 10 the head element 17 also has an opening 31 for the insertion of an eyelet 23. The head element 17 could be upwardly convex, as is the case with the form shown in FIG. 5.

For the templet shown in FIG. 14 the incisions 32 are :shown as rather long slots. Thus, the prongs 18 are bent straight down from the head element 17, as shown in FIG. 15.

The resulting finished unit 22, from any of these forms of button component will be essentially the same as what is shown in FIG. 8. In some instances, the cap or shell 20 could have applied to the exposed convex face thereof a colored substance, instead of the previously-indicated covering 21, to match or appropriately contrast with the covering 25 on the face of which the button head element would be exposed.

In using the finished unit 22, as shown in FIG. 8,

involving any of these structural adaptations of FIGS. 2, 4, 6, 13 and FIG. 15, the prongs 18 are pressed through the upholstery 16 and drawn inwardly to effect the desired compression of the outer covering 25 over the padding 24. Thereupon, the major portions of the prongs 18 are bent oppositely outward or inward against the inner covering 26, as shown in FIG. 8.

Such a compression of the upholstery 16, and the bent disposition of the prongs 13, will expose the looped end of the eyelet 23, when that is included in the finished unit, inwardly of the covering 26. This will permit the insertion of a length of cord 34 through the eyelet 23 for looping around and tying to the frame 28. This serves to ensure either a uniform tufting of the upholstery 16 over the entire area of the outer covering or, if it should be desired, a modified tufting of certain areas thereof. Such a cord 34 also ensures retaining the upholstery button unit in its required position in the event the prongs should give way.

Although the focus of this disclosure has been on upholstery button units, it is conceivable that such units could be used in a number of different situations to retain parts in a predetermined spaced relationship.

Variations and modifications in the details of structure and arrangement of the parts may be resorted to within the spirit and coverage of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A finished upholstry button unit comprising, a onepiece head element having a central opening therein, a pair of prongs integrated with the head element and disposed axially of the head element, a shell member with an overlaid disk of covering material embracing the head element with the marginal portion of the covering material interposed between the opposed perimeters of the head element and the shell member and with a marginal portion of the shell member crimped around the perimeter of the head element to secure the fabric in place over the head element, and a wire-shaped eyelet with the ends thereof disposed laterally opposite each other suspended from the head element through the opening with the wire ends resting on the interior face of the head element.

2. A one-piece button component as set forth in claim 1 wherein a perimetrical portion of the head element is disposed to form an axially-tapered flange.

3. A one-piece button component for use with a cap and a disk of covering material to form a finished upholstery button unit, the component comprising a diskshaped head element formed from narrow, flat strip material and having a small central opening therein for the suspension therefrom of a wire eyelet shaped with the ends thereof oppositely disposed to rest on the head element with the eyelet inserted through the opening, and a pair of prongs integrated with the head element and disposed axially of the head element in contiguous substantial parallel relationship.

4. A one-piece button component as set forth in claim 3, wherein a narrow perimetrical portion of the head element is axially upset to form a circular tapered flange.

5. A one-piece button component as set forth in claim 4, wherein the prongs adjacent the head element are bent radially inward over the flange and extended downwardly through the head-element opening to disposed the prongs in closely contiguous parallel relationship.

6. An one-piece button component as set forth in claim 4 formed from a fiat, rectangular strip of pliable metal wherein the medial portion thereof is circularly incised to define the disk-shaped head element and the perimetrical marginal portions of the strip extending oppositely outward from the head element are folded over onto an intermediate portion to define a pair of prongs bent inwardly of the head element and disposed in contiguous axial disposition thereof.

(References on following page) 5 6 References Cited 1,875,628 9/1932 Manson. UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,390,751 12/1945 Tinnerman.

277,082 5/1883 Thayer 2494 2,9,9,285 9/1961 Morton et a1 2494 365,452 6/1887 Walther et a1. 5 FOREIGN PATENTS 666,503 1901 FiXen 100,167 2/1937 Australia. 672,052 4/1901 Anderson 2496 794,973 7/1905 Freschl 24152 WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner. 913,248 2/1909 Young 24152 1,829,361 10/1931 Lane 24 94 DONALD GRIFFIN Examine" 

3. A ONE-PIECE BUTTON COMPONENT FOR USE WITH A CAP AND A DISK COVERING MATERIAL TO FORM A FINISHED UPHOLSTERY BUTTON UNIT, THE COMPONENT COMPRISING A DISK-SHAPED HEAD ELEMENT FORMED FROM NARROW, FLAT STRIP MATERIAL AND HAVING A SMALL CENTRAL OPENING THEREIN FOR THE SUSPENSION THEREFROM OF A WIRE EYELET SHAPED WITH THE ENDS THEREOF OPPOSITELY DISPOSED TO REST ON THE HEAD ELEMENT WITH THE EYELET INSERTED THROUGH THE OPENING, AND A PAIR OF PRONGS INTEGRATED WITH THE HEAD ELEMENT AND DISPOSED AXIALLY OF THE HEAD ELEMENT IN CONTIGUOUS SUBSTANTIAL PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP. 